West Ham celebrate father's say as bid for Santos starlet Neymar gets the thumbs up from forward's dad

Won't come cheap: Neymar has a £28.4m release clause at Santos, but West Ham have bid £12m

West Ham's bid for Brazilian wonderkid Neymar has been given the thumbs up by the 18-year-old's father.

The Santos forward's parents have previously insisted it was too soon to talk about a move to Europe, but the offer from Upton Park has been welcomed as a dream move that is seen as a stepping stone to Chelsea.

The Hammers saw an opening £12million bid rejected and Santos insist they will not do a deal for less than Neymar's £28.4m release clause.

However, Neymar Silva - the player's father - hopes Santos will reconsider their position after hearing details of the offer from agent Wagner Ribeiro.

'It's a very good proposal,' he told Brazilian website Globoesporte. 'He would adapt there for a while and would later reach a big team in a short space of time.

'Indeed, what is on offer is the dream of any player: to play for a big club in Europe and compete for major titles.

'They (West Ham) will make a new proposal for sure, but we will respect Santos. Neymar has a contract with the club and this must be respected.'

First day: New West Ham boss Avram Grant shares a joke with his assistant David Coles as they begin life at the east London club and pre-season training

The player is 40 per cent owned by investors, but Santos, who own the other 60 per cent of his rights, have the say in negotiations.

Club president Luis Alvaro de Oliveira said: 'The proposal can mess with a player, but we have the power of the pen because we are the owners of his rights. Let's not ruin the most-loved team in Brazil this year.'

Santos stormed to the Sao Paulo State Championship earlier this year and have started the nationwide Serie A well. They have already sold 19-year-old striker Andre to Dynamo Kiev this summer but hope to hold on to Neymar, Lyon target Paulo Henrique Ganso and also want to extend the loan of Manchester City forward Robinho for at least another six months.

Neymar showed his unease answering questions about his future after scoring a cheeky penalty during a 3-0 friendly win Ferroviaria on Sunday.

Despite his club and father acknowledging negotiations with West Ham, the teenager said: 'I know nothing. I haven't received (an offer). I want to carry on at Santos.'